YESTERDAY, myself, dressed as Tigra, was with the above-mentioned friends and we were all in the super crowded San Diego Comic-Con International Gaslamp area taking photos with #SDCC peeps and fans. Some total A$$H0LE came up behind me and tried to stick his hands in my bottoms and then yanked my tail and pants down.

I just freaked out, screamed trying to keep my bottoms up -- but Adrianne Curry literally took off after dude WITH her Catwoman whip and chased him down, beat his ass. Punched him across the face with the butt of her whip -- he had zombie blood on his face - got on her costume. Katrina got in his face, Todd shoved him, the guy ran off - huge ruckus and yep some people got their cell phones out of course.

Looking at Marie's Tigra cosplay, the seriousness of this assault becomes even more disturbing.

With her costume primarily consiting of just a bikini top and bottom, the attempted removal of Marie's bottoms would have left her more than slightly exposed. Luckily, Adriane Curry (in her Catwoman suit) came to the rescue, beating up the person who pantsed her friend.

"I beat the shit out of his face with the butt of my whip .....which is a real bullwhip"

On Facebook Curry shared Marie's status regarding the assault and added, "I beat the shit out of his face with the butt of my whip .....which is a real bullwhip."The mental image of Curry hitting Marie's harasser in the face with the butt of her whip just feels like a win for women who have been sexually harassed at conventions everywhere.

Curry is no stranger to harassment at Comic Con when it comes to being scantily clad. In 2011 she was allegedly kicked out of Comic Con for wearing an outfit that was too revealing. Should she ever don such a costume again, perhaps more people will think twice before trying to touch Adrianne (or her friends) inappropriately.

Harrassment at Comic-Con

Harassment at conventions is unfortunately something many people have begun to expect from nerd culture. A recent survey by Janelle Asselin shows that 13% of people attending comic conventions report having unwanted comments of a sexual nature made about them at conventions, and 8% of people of all genders reported they had been groped, assaulted, or raped at a comic convention.

While the percentages may seem low, Asselin puts them in perspective by demonstrating how many attendees of San Diego Comic-Con have possibly been harassed.

To put these percentages into perspective, if 13 percent of San Diego Comic-Con attendees have unwanted comments of a sexual nature made about them this week, that would be around 17,000 people. And if eight percent of SDCC attendees are groped, assaulted, or raped, that’s over 10,000 attendees suffering harassment

So theoretically, 25,000 people may have been verbally harassed, groped, and assaulted in a sexual way during San Diego Comic Con last week.

While fighting harassment with harassment is not necessarily the optimal way to change attitudes towards women in nerd culture, it's difficult not to laud "vigilantes" like Adrianne Curry for taking matters into their own hands. Fighting back is an option, so long as your cosplay includes a blunt instrument.

Some of the most rude a-holes I have ever met are quote NERDS.
I think they have begun to believe that "The Big Bang theory" is real life and Penny really would do Leonard for real....yeah......no.......
Lesson for nerds....if your are homely you have to be a nice guy. Only super hot guys can be jerks and get away with it. Nerds now believe they can be aholes because they are smart and every girl wants them.
Nope....not real. Girls like humble nice and rich. Learn that and your life will be much better off. Less jail time too.

Beating the shit out of a sexual harrasser is not 'harrassment.' The fact that Curry beat him up is one of the greatest things I've ever heard. Of course it would have been better if none of this had happened at all, but in my opinion you're damn lucky if you try to harrass a woman and all that happens is you get smacked in the face with the butt end of a bullwhip.

It was staged, these statistics are grossly exaggerated.
If 25,000 people filed criminal complaints the convention would not be allowed to continue. Did a child write this like Adrianne Curry's need for attention to keep her in D- celebrity status?

Maybe she and her friends should of held the attacker till the police arrive and then charge him. Given that this is the 1st I heard of it. And it hasn't been reported or peek abiut on tweeter or other feeds. I question if it happen till a video appears

This is a social problem, 6 out of 9 women suffer from sexual assault (rape) at least once in their life time. Fandom people are well manered and kind, that's why this sounds so ugly in our community. It means that WE can make a difference. I believe that most of these guys are passers by, not regulars at conventions. That's what I've seen in my experience during local events. Congrats to Adrianne.

“Harassment at conventions is unfortunately something many people have begun to expect from nerd culture.” I am offended and deeply saddened by this statement. So far only two other posts, and even acknowledge the possibility that this was not nerd on nerd harassment. Comic-Con was sold out because it is marketed outside the nerd community. To Jocks, who are nerds’ natural predator.

I meet my first pregnant teen in 10th grade math class. The father of her child, she told me, was one of 10 Varsity football players to father 43 children over 6 years. He was also the one to pull a knife on me, when as a 9th grader the Varsity coach asked me to try out for the team. I suspect the assailant was not a nerd or a teenager. But was an adult who felt above the law and entitled to whatever he could garb. Jocks are nerds’ natural predator.

It doesn't matter what's she wearing. It's like saying that I shouldn't be permitted to wear a bikini to the beach because some asshole might try to stick his hand down my pants. Fuck that. I may start carrying a weapon with me at cons just for this reason. Adrianne, you kick some serious ass, lady! Way to go!

"Double Standard", I can't believe you are pulling the "tell the grown ups" card. In a crowd that big, you think you are going to be able to find security and still have them catch the guy? She was defending a friend from an ASSAULT. When that happens, you DEFEND first, REPORT second. And if it wasn't the butt end of a bullwhip, it could have been shoes, belt buckles, fists, plenty of things it's legal to be in public with. I have absolutely no problem with her beating the shit out of that guy, scumbags like that need to realize there's a consequence to their actions.

FAthoms_4209 "Yes, but that's essentially saying the motivation is irrelevant. There's a gigantic difference between an adolescent, ill-advised prank and sexual assault, and it's important to get that right before passing judgment."

Let's get it clear. Once you have your hands in someones pants you are sexually assaulting them. If you pants them you have sexually assaulted them. Doesnt matter what you are thinking or who asked you to do it or why. YOu touched someone in that way and now you are a criminal. Plain and simple.. This boys will be boys stuff is utter bullshit my friend.

This mostly happens because cons and geek culture are now just mainstream fashion and fare. The tourists come into our safe places and defile them with their low behavior. But the good thing about geek culture is we dont put up with that and we answer viciously and swiftly to rapists and grab asses.

Conventions are gatherings for people who often have difficulty in social situations, but for the most part those folks are mannered, courteous and respectful. Cons like SDCC and more often big corporate events like Wizard World Comic Cons are mainstream attractions for part-time and casual fans.

So, don't look for this kind of issue to go away anytime soon. But, it's good that SDCC is trying to get ahead of it.

Regular sci-fi conventions tend to be more insular, with generations of fans who've attended year after year. Many know each other very well and often have a feeling of family. They look after each other I've found.

But, mass media events like this are open and those used to a more secure environment need to be more aware, not just of their own behavior but others who take such liberties. People need to be pro-active, and hopefully avoid violence.

@SpazldNinja... what, is this Iran. Screw victim blaming. Whether someone is dressed in a burka or stark naked makes no difference. You don't sexually harass, grope or rape people. End of story. The onus is on the perpetrators and their lacking of having been decently raised.

@Fathoms....makes no difference the motivation. What he did was in fact an act of sexual harassment. In any court of law. Makes no dif if he was drunk, acting on a dare, lost his meds, or thought he lost his car keys in her shorts. What he did is considered an act of sexual assault. He's lucky he only got his ass whupped on this one.

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's her fault. It's the fault of the person who tried to harass her. I'm also saying, she could dress more appropriately to reduce the severity of the harassment. Don't get me wrong, I 100% agree with you, and what he got. He's a stupid disgrace and he deserved what he got.